Earlier today I posted a story about paddler West Hansen’s attempt to make a solo-speed run of the Amazon River, which he is calling the Amazon Express. In that story I mentioned that he would have to run the Acobamba Abyss, a notoriously treacherous stretch of white water that is amongst the toughest in the world. What exactly will that entail? The Abyss is roughly 40 miles (64km) in length and features Class V+ rapids nearly the entire way. It also runs through steep slot canyons that don’t allow for any kind of retreat once paddlers enter the section. The water is too fast to paddle upstream and the walls are too difficult to climb, which means there is only one way to go – down!

For a better idea of what it’s like, check out the video below that shows some rafters running through the Abyss a few years back. Looks like a wild ride!

It has been a very long and tough week for the Arctic Row team. The four-man crew set out a few weeks back in an effort to cross the Arctic Ocean in a rowboat starting at Inuvik, Canada and ending in Providenya, Russia, a distance of about 1300 miles (2092km) that was expected to take 30 days to complete. Now 21 days into the voyage and they aren’t even close to wrapping up the trip, thanks in now small part to a massive storm that has hit the arctic and halted progress for the past week.

Early on in the row the team was surprised to find not only good weather but clear water conditions as well. Few icebergs were spotted and winds were calm with warmer than expected temperatures. This allowed them to cover solid mileage as they continued to row non-stop, 24-hours per day in two hour shifts. That pattern allowed them to cross the half-way point of their journey on the first of August, which put them slightly behind schedule but still making good time.

That all changed when they started to hit heavy winds last Friday. Progress slowed to a crawl and levels of exhaustion quickly increased. Those winds eventually started to hit sustained speeds of 45 mph (72 kph), which not only made the seas choppy but also made it nearly impossible to keep moving forward. Then it started to rain. A cold, hard rain that wasn’t very conducive for spending long hours behind the oars.

With conditions so poor, the boys decided to seek shelter in a protected lagoon not far from Barrow, Alaska. They managed to limp into the relatively calm waters and drop anchor, and unfortunately they were stuck there until today when they took to the oars once again just to move five miles towards Point Barrow in order to be in position to resume their journey once the storm lets up once and for all. For now though, they continue to wait for improvement.

This massive storm is very unusual for this time of year. Typically July and August are the calmest months of the year in the Arctic Ocean, which is why that is the period of time that these kinds of adventures take place there. A storm of this size and intensity doesn’t tent to form in the warmer months, but then again judging from how bad the weather was in the Karakoram this season, I’m beginning to think that all bets are off in terms of long term forecasts.

Hopefully the weather will improve and the crew can continue forward again soon. I’m sure they’re well supplied with food and gear, but they still have a long way to go until they’re done. Keep your fingers crossed they get through this and get back underway shortly.

While we’re on the subject of South America and The Amazon today, it appears that another major paddling expedition is about to hit the water there. Texan West Hansen will soon be attempting to become the first and fastest person to paddle the entire length of the Amazon River, source-to-sea, completely solo and in record time. He calls this expedition The Amazon Express and if all goes according to plan, he’ll be getting under way in a matter of days.

Hansen will begin the journey at the headwaters of the Amazon, which start in the Peruvian Andes on Mount Mismi, which gives birth to the Apurimac River, one of the tributaries that helps form the mighty Amazon itself. In those early days he’ll be navigating dangerous Class III-VI+ rapids as he descends through Black Canyon and the legendary Acobamba Abyss, one of the most difficult sections of white water anywhere in the world.

That section of the journey will cover approximately 425 miles (684km) before the water begins to even out and slow down dramatically. From there, it is another 3800 miles (6115km) to the sea, all of which West intends to run as quickly as possible, going night and day to the finish line to the best of his ability. All told, the entire expedition will cover 4425 miles (7121km).

West is currently in South America and preparing to start his epic paddle. He has secured his visas and is in the final stages of getting his gear and supplies ready. He’ll have a support boat that will resupply him along the way, but he’ll be doing all of the paddling completely alone. If all goes as planned, he should hit the water as early as next week.

It should be noted, and Hansen acknowledges this himself, this isn’t the first kayaking expedition to run the Amazon. His “firsts” include doing it solo and fast. Seems like it’s going to be one hell of a journey and I wish him the best of luck, and not just because he lives in Austin, my place of residence. This will definitely be one amazing adventure.

Follow along at TheAmazonExpress2012.com.

A few weeks back I posted a story on the Brazil 9000 expedition which involves adventurers Aaron Chervenak and Gareth Jones traveling north to south across Brazil on foot, canoe and bike, covering more than 9000km (5592 miles) in the process. The journey is set to begin in a few months and they expect it to take roughly 15 months to complete.

Today, the CheapTents blog, which is always a great source for interesting stories, has posted an interview with Aaron and Gareth. The two men discuss their inspirations for the Brazil 9000 expedition, their previous experience in the Amazon and what they expect to find as they traverse the remote regions of South America. They also talk about their training as they prepare for the epic journey, what they’re most looking forward to on the road and what they expect to be their biggest challenges.

Being a gear blog of sorts, CheapTents always asks their interviewees about their favorite gear and Aaron and Gareth are no exception. This is always one of my favorite sections in a CP interview as I’m often curious about the gear that adventurers take with them on their travels. In this case, Aaron says that he loves their Ally canoe made be Bergans of Norway, calling it “the best collapsible canoe on the market.” For his part, Gareth gives the nod to his Arc’teryx Naos 85 backpack, which he lauds for its ability to comfortably carry heavy loads over long distances and for the fact that it is waterproof. Something that will no doubt come in handy in the rainforest.

This is one of the upcoming expeditions that I’m looking forward to following the most. Aaron and Gareth intend to use social media to the fullest while traveling which hopefully means we’ll get plenty of updates and lots of information from them in the field. It’s going to be one amazing journey to say the least.

One of the few teams still in Pakistan this summer is the Trango Air Wall squad. The four person group that consists of Liv Sansoz, Tim Emmett, Jérome Blanc-Gras and Manu Guy have been attempting to climb the Great Trango Tower, a 6286 meter (20,623 ft) granite spire and then BASE jump from the top. Updates to their website have been few and far between, although there have been status reports on their Facebook page where today we learn that they are abandoning the climb.

The news actually comes via an update by Trey Cook on the EpicTV Daily. Trey reports that he spoke directly with the team while they were still on the Tower and they said that they were successful in their climb but poor weather was preventing them from reaching their exit point. The team spent 12-14 hours scaling the Great Tower but rapidly deteriorating conditions were preventing them from actually making the jump. So, with that in mind the four climbers were preparing to descend in the usual fashion then return to Base Camp before starting the long journey home.

This is just another example of how fickle the weather has been in the Karakoram this year. Aside from a short weather window at the end of July, it has been nearly impossible for anyone to climb in the region this summer. Thankfully some of the teams were able to achieve their goals when that window opened or it would have been an awful season indeed. The question is whether or not 2012 is an anomaly or if shifting global weather patterns are giving us a glimpse of what to expect in the future as well. At this point there is no answer to that and we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out next summer.

Congratulations to the Trango Air Wall team on a successful climb. It’s a shame they didn’t get the chance to BASE jump, but job well done none the less. Hopefully everyone will descend safely and get home in one piece.

I’ve written about The Heroes Project on a couple of occasions in the past few months. It’s the non-profit organization founded by Tim Medvetz that helps wounded veterans recover from their injuries and regain personal strength and self confidence through climbing expeditions. The group recently climbed Kilimanjaro with Marine Staff Sergeant Mark Zambon, who lost both of his legs while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Like all organizations of this type, The Heroes Project is always looking for ways to raise funds to support its efforts. They recently received some help in that department in the form of actor Dean Winters, who many readers will recognize from such television shows as Rescue Me and Oz. He also happens to play the part of “Mayhem” in a series of popular insurance commercials that are currently running here in the U.S. Dean has set up a Wish page in which he is asking for donations to help fund an upcoming Heroes Project expedition to Indonesia to climb Carstenz Pyramid. Dean is looking to raise $15,000 for the cause, which will help pay for US Army Retired Sgt. Noah Galloway to join the climb. Noah suffered an IED attack in Iraq, losing his left arm above the elbow and his left leg above the knee.

Here’s a video of “Mayhem” explaining why he wants to help and encouraging us all to give to the cause. If you’d like to donate visit the Wish page by clicking here.

The 2012 Gold Rush Mother Lode Adventure Race is under way in the Sierra Mountains of California.  The five day evet pits 14 coed teams against one another in a non-stop race on foot, mountain bike and kayak and serves as a North American qualifier for the AR World Championship to be held in France later this year.

The Gold Rush actually got underway yesterday and teams are now well into the early part of the course. You can follow their progress on the Mother Lode website, which features web tracking and regular updates on the Race Coverage page, which is being fed via Twitter. At the moment there appears to be some issues with the leaderboard however, as all the teams are ranked as #1.

The race should continue through the weekend with the first teams possibly hitting the finish line on Saturday with the rest trickling in throughout Sunday. There are some excellent athletes in this event so it should be a hotly contested race. If you’re a fan of AR the Gold Rush should provide your fix over the next few days.

A few days back I posted a few thoughts on some of the things that I saw at Outdoor Retailer last week. For outdoor enthusiasts the convention is pure gear nirvana with so many great things to see that it is difficult to explain the experience to others. Needless to say however, if you’re in the market for new boots, packs, tents or other outdoor gear, there are hundreds of options on display.

While sifting through my notes on the show, here are a few more great pieces of gear that you’ll want to keep an eye on in the months ahead. Some are available now and others will be released over the next few months, but all impressed me on multiple levels.

SlingFin Tents
Not for the average consumer, SlingFin builds a line of tents designed for mountaineers and adventure guides. They have everything from small, two-person, four-season tents to large expedition dome tents, each with a unique design and plenty of attention to detail. What struck me about their shelters was the level of versatility they provide in terms of ventilation, stability and comfort. These tents have years of thought and design put into them and it shows. Experienced adventurers can buy just one of the SlinFin tents and use it on multiple adventures around the planet including deserts, mountains and polar regions. Very impressive.

Mountain Equipment Helium Sleeping Bag
Mountain Equipment is a gear company that has been around for decades in Europe and the U.K. but has just started to find its way across the pond to the States in the past few years. They make excellent mountaineering gear that is very high quality and yet remains quite affordable. I was especially impressed with their sleeping bag line which incorporated some excellent design choices to make a very comfortable sleeping experience. Warm and light weight, the Helium bags offered nice touches like a uniquely designed bottom designed to provide more room and comfort for your feet. Anatomically designed hoods help to keep your head warm without sacrificing warmth, while comfortable neck collars and two-direction locking zippers provide plenty of options as well. The company has a sleeping bag for just about everyone, whether you’re camping in the backyard or taking on Everest, and more thought has gone into those bags than most other companies puts into their entire product line. For those looking to cut weight, their new Xero bag is rated for 20ºF/-6ºC, weighs in at just 27 ounces (765 grams) and costs just $340. Not bad at all!

Switch Eyewhere
Outdoor athletes, adventure racers, triathletes or anyone who just demands a lot from their performance eyewear will certainly want to take a look at the options from Switch. The company has come up with an ingenious design that incorporates magnets into the frames and lenses, allowing you to quickly swap them out based on the current lighting conditions. Running a 24-hour adventure race? Switch can provide you with the right lenses for morning, mid-day and evening light, allowing you to use a single frame for every situation. There are numerous frames to choose from and they are all durable, rugged and great looking. Lenses are fully RX-able and there are several kits available that come with two sets of lenses to get you started. This is one of those great concepts that you’re not sure why someone didn’t come up with it sooner.

New Balance Minimus Hi-Rez Running Shoe
Minimalist running shoes were all the rage once again this year at OR although the trend moved away from the “barefoot” craze that was popular the past couple of years in favor of designs that were still lightweight and comfortable. One of the shoes that generated a lot of buzz was the new Minimus Hi-Rez from New Balance. Weighing in at just 4.2 ounces and remaining very flexible, the Hi-Rez seems to be a great mix of comfort and speed. They’ll carry a price tag of about $120 when they drop in a few months time, but if that’s too steep for you bank account, you’ll have plenty of similar options from other manufacturers as well.

Princeton Tec Spectrum Headlamps
Princeton Tec was at OR to show off a few new products as well, including a fantastic new headlamp with a rechargeable battery pack that is lightweight, has a long burn time and provides plenty of lumens. But they were also there to talk about their expanded options for their Spectrum lights. If you’re not familiar with the Spectrum it gives you the ability to custom design your own headlamp selecting from a couple of different models then building it with the colors and band that you like most. Users can actually make their personal light quite unique and it is fund to build the unit online. After it’s complete, Princeton Tec ships it out to you ready for use. The option is great for adventure racing teams for instance who all want matching lamps in team colors. The service was launched at last year’s summer OR, but now has a few expanded options.

Pelican Pro-Gear Backpacks
Most of us are probably familiar with Pelican cases, which are fantastic for keeping our fragile gear, such as cameras and laptops, protected from the elements while out in the field. Now the company is preparing to release it’s Pro-Gear line of backpacks which actually incorporate a waterproof hard case directly into the pack itself. The packs are a bit bulky but provide great protection for important gear. I expect these will be a big hit with travel and adventure photographers, many of whom visit remote places with gear that doesn’t always do well in harsh environments. I tried one of the packs on and found it to be surprisingly comfortable even if it does look a bit awkward. There will be a couple of sizes and colors available when they launch in September.

Julbo Floating Sunglasses
Another eyewear company that impressed with great designs and innovative options. Once again, triathletes and adventure racers will find plenty to like in their catalog but mountaineers will likely be the most impressed. Julbo has its roots in the climbing world and had a number of great styles and options designed for use on the mountain. But perhaps their most impressive innovation was coming up with a pair of performance sunglasses that actually float. How many of us have managed to drop an expensive pair of shades into the water only to watch them quickly sink beneath the surface? With the new frames from Julbo this will no longer be an issue.

Brooks-Range Cloak
Brooks-Range has an excellent new sleeping option that will be available in the spring for those that find themselves getting a bit too warm in a traditional sleeping bag. The new Cloak is actually a “technical blanket” stuffed with waterproof down from Down-Tek that is designed to be used with just a sleeping pad. It comes in three models rated for 45, 30 and 15ºF (7, -1 and -9ºC) with the lightest model weighing just 13 ounces (368 grams). Perfect for warm weather backpacking and camping and the the prototypes that I saw were super soft and comfortable. Definitely a unique piece of gear, but one that I’m sure will be appreciated for its simplicity and function.

Look for reviews and suggestions on these gear items and more in the days and weeks ahead. I’m already testing some of the things I saw at the show and will start sharing thoughts soon.

For most of the 2012 Pakistan climbing season I’ve been posting regular updates on the progress of the teams including some major success stories on Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and of course K2. One of the climbers whose updates I always anticipated reading was Al Hancock, who first attempted to climb BP then moved over to K2. For the past week we’ve been waiting for word on his whereabouts as we knew that his team was preparing for a summit push. Today Al finally posted an update and it’s a doozy.

I had speculated that Al, along with his porters and teammate Matt, were still on the mountain and attempting a summit bid. It turns out that was the plan, but K2 had other ideas. The mountain had been more than generous a few days before, allowing as many as 30 climbers to summit successfully. That’s a big number for a peak that is known as the “Savage Mountain. ” But while they were in Camp 1 the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse, closing the season in swift and dramatic fashion.

Al starts the update by describing the trek up to C1 where he and Matt decide that one of the three porters isn’t experienced enough to be climbing a tough mountain like K2 and that he needs to be safely escorted back to Base Camp. Matt takes on that responsibility and sets off back down the mountain. Not long after he is gone, Al and the two remaining porters are hit by an avalanche that lets up just long enough to give them an opportunity to take shelter in their tent as the bad weather sets in. And what incredibly bad weather it was.

For five days the three men huddled in the tent, occasionally going out to dig snow off their shelter and to take care of other duties. A storm raged the entire time, with very high winds and blizzard conditions.   As the days passed, their fuel and food began to dwindle and Matt attempted to deliver supplies from BC but was turned back by the storm. There was no where to go, up or down.

Eventually Al and his guides decided they couldn’t stay on the mountain any longer and that they had to dry to descend. Immediately after getting dressed and leaving the tent, it was ripped from the mountain by the gale force winds that were buffeting their camp. With no where to take shelter, the men started down and…

Obviously they made it as Al is filing this report. But the rest of their story is to be continued in a future dispatch. I definitely recommend you read Al’s story as it is well written and tells the start of a harrowing tale. I’m sure the descent is going to be a wild read as well so hopefully he’ll post it soon too.

If all of those summits amidst good weather last week led you to believe that K2′s reputation is overblown, Al’s account of his climb will remind you why this is the Mountaineer’s Mountain. Crazy story.

Dagger Kayaks has a new playboat coming out called the Jitsu. It’s small, it’s light and it’s very agile. In short, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Recently pro-paddler Rush Sturges got to take the Jitsu out for a test drive and as you’ll see in the video below, he really put it through its paces. Looks like fun!